Boat and propulsion means therefor



Jan. 2, 1968 0.1-. HILDEBRAND 3,361,106

BOAT AND PROPULSION MEANS THEREFOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 31, 1966 INVENTOR. aZ/FFOPD F/V/ZOZ5'5/P4/V0 Jan. 2, 1968 c. F. HI LDEBRAND 3,361,106

BOAT AND PROPULSION MEANS THEREFOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 31, 1966 w wn United States Patent 3,361,106 BOAT AND PROPULSION MEANS THEREFOR Clifford F. Hildebrand, 408 West Curve Drive, Webster City, Iowa 50595 Filed Mar. 31, 1966, Ser. No. 539,005 8 Claims. (Cl. 115-28) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A boat and a propulsion means therefor consisting of a handle means movably mounted in the boat which is linked to a movable fin means extending rearwardly from the boat. Movement of the handle means in one of its directions of movement causes the fin means to be moved to propel the boat.

A principal object of this invention is to provide a boat which is able to be propelled through reed, river grass, lily pads, marshes, etc. without the propulsion means be coming fouled.

A further object of this invention is to provide a boat which is propelled by hand operated propulsion means.

A further object of this invention is to provide a boat which is highly maneuverable.

A further object of this invention is to provide a boat which is highly buoyant.

A further object of this invention is to provide a boat which is easily transported.

A further object of this invention is to provide a boat propulsion means which is extremely simple to enable children to operate the same.

A further object of this invention is to provide a hand operated boat propulsion means which includes a fin means which is moved a plurality of oscillations for each stroke of the hand operated propulsion means.

A further object of this invention is to provide a boat and propulsion means therefor which is economical of manufacture, durable in use and refined in appearance.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

This invention consists in the construction, arrangements, and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth, specifically pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of the boat illustrating the detachable poop deck;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the boat;

FIG. 3 is a top elevational view of the boat propulsion means;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view as would be seen on line 4-4 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view as would be seen on line 5-5 of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 6 is a side view of the boat propulsion means with portions thereof cut away to more fully illustrate the invention.

The boat of this invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 and is designated by the reference numeral 10. Boat 10 includes a main body 11 and a poop deck portion 13 detachably secured to the rearward end thereof by any convenient means such as bolts or the like. Body 11 is provided with hull portions 15 and 17 extending downwardly from opposite sides thereof and a keel portion 19 extend- 3,361,106 Patented. Jan. 2, 1968 ing downwardly from its central bottom portion. As seen in FIG. 2, the forward ends of hull portions 15 and 17 and keel portion 19 are tapered at their forward ends. Poop deck portion 13 is also provided with downwardly extending hull portions 21 and 23 which register with hull portions 15 and 17 when poop deck portion 13 is sectured to main body 11.

The propulsion means 25 is mounted within and on keel portion 19 as best illustrated in FIGS. 3-6. For purposes of description, keel portion 19 will be described as having a bottom 27, forward end 29, rearward end 31 and opposite sidewalls 33 and 35. Two spaced apart, inverted U-shaped guides 37 and 41 are mounted within keel portion 19 between sidewalls 33 and 35 by any suitable means. An elongated drive bar 45 is pivotally connected at its forward end to bottom 27 of keel portion 19 by means of bolt 47 and is provided with a slot 49 extending into its rearward end. It can be seen in FIG. 4 that drive bar 45 is positioned beneath guides 37 and 41. A cam groove 51 is formed in drive bar 45 and is comprised of groove portions 53, 55 and 57 which are angularly disposed with respect to each other. It can be seen from FIG. 3 that the angle between groove portion 57 and the longitudinal axis of drive bar 45 is greater than the angle between groove portion 55 and the longitudinal axis of drive bar 45. It can also be seen in FIG. 3 that the angle between groove portion 55 and the longitudinal axis of drive bar 45 is greater than the angle between groove portion 53 and the longitudinal axis of drive bar 45.

A guide bar asembly 59 is pivotally connected at its forward end to guide 37 by means of bolt 61. Guide bar assembly 59 is comprised of spaced apart, parallel bar members 63 and 65 having opposed slots 67 and 69 formed therein (FIG. 4). The rearward end of guide bar assembly 45 is slidably mounted on guide 41 as best illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. A bracket 71 is secured to drive bar assembly 59 by bolts 73 and extends upwardly therefrom. As best seen in FIG. 4, bracket 71 is provided with a vertical slot 75 formed therein which is adapted to receive a pin 77. Pin 77 is secured to the lower end of a shift lever 79 which is pivotally connected intermediate its length to support member 81 which extends between sidewalls 33 and 35.

A plate 83 is slidably mounted in slots 67 and 69 and extends between bar members 63 and 65. A follower 85 is rotatably secured to the lower rearward end of plate 83 and is received by cam groove 51. A handle portion 87 is pivotally connected at its rearward end to plate 83 at 89 and is pivotally connected at its forward end to handle portion 91 at 93. An arm member 95 is pivotally connected at its rearward end to handle portion 93 between the ends thereof and is pivotally connected at its forward end to keel portion 19 as seen in FIGS. 5 and 6.

A pair of bearings 97 and 99 are secured to the inside rearward end of keel portion 19 by any convenient means and rotatably receive the opposite ends of a vertically disposed shaft 101. A pair of spaced apart rods 103 and 105 are secured to and extend rearwardly from shaft 101 through openings 107 and 109 respectively in the rearward end of keel portion 19. The numeral 111 generally designates a flexible fin constructed of stainless steel or the like. Fin 111 is provided with collars 113 and 115 extending forwardly therefrom which are adapted to receive the rearward ends of rods 103 and 105 respectively. Set screws 117 and 119 threadably extend into collars 113 and 115 respectively to engage rods 103 and 105 respectively to mtaintain fin 111 on rods 103 and 105.

3 Flexible seals 121 and 123 embrace rods 103 and 105 respectively to prevent water from entering keel portion 19. A rod 125 is secured to shaft 101 and extends forwardly therefrom and is provided with a downwardly extending finger 127 at its forward end which is received by slot 49 and drive bar 45.

As seen in FIG. 1, fin 111 is positioned beneath poop deck portion 13. If desired, a cover 129 can be placed over keel portion 19 with openings provided therein to permit the shift lever 79 and handle portion 91 to extend therethrough. Body portion 11 of boat is provided with a seat 131 which is positioned immediately rearwardly of shift lever '79. Preferably, the entire boat and propulsion means, with the exception of fin 111, is constructed of aluminum or alloys thereof or fiberglass.

The detachable poop deck 13 permits the boat 10 to be easily transported from one location to another. The configuration of the hulls and keel of the boat provides a boat having the utmost buoyancy and stability. When the drive bar 45 and guide bar assembly 59 is in the position ill-ustrated by solid lines in FIG. 5, the rearward and forward movement of the upper end of handle portion 93 will cause plate 83 to be slidably moved in slots 67 and 69. The movement of plate 83 causes follower 85 to be moved along the length of cam groove 51 which results in fin 111 being moved to the positions illustrated by broken lines. Thus, when follower 85 is moving rearwardly in groove portion 53, fin 111 will be moved downwardly as viewed in FIG. 5. It can be appreciated that the oscillation of fin 111 is created by follower 85 being moved in groove 51 which causes drive bar 45 to be oscillated to the positions illustrated by broken lines in FIG. 5. The variation in the angular relationship of the various groove portions with respect to the longitudinal axis of drive bar 47 has been found to be extremely significant. Thus, it can be appreciated that when follower 85 is in the rearwardmost portion of groove portion 57, it will require a less amount of force to move drive bar 45 than when the follower 85 is in groove portion 55. This feature is extremely helpful due to the fact that when follower 85 is in the rearwardmost portion of groove portion 57, the upper end of handle portion 93 will be at its forward position and the operator would not be able to exert the maximum amount of pressure thereon. The movement of handle portion 93 for one complete stroke will result in the fin 111 being oscillated a plurality of times due to the plurality of groove portions of cam groove 51. Thus, when shift lever 79 is in the position illustrated in FIG. 5, the movement of handle portion 93 will cause drive bar 45 to be moved to the positions illustrated by broken lines to propel the boat in a forward manner. When it is desired to turn the boat in one direction or the other, it is simply necessary to move the upper end of shift lever 79 in the same direction. The movement of shift lever 79 causes guide bar assembly 59 and drive bar 45 to be pivoted laterally as best illustrated in FIG. 3. The lateral movement of guide bar assembly 59 and drive bar 45 causes the fin 111 to be oscillated in an are which is offset from the longitudinal axis of keel portion 19.

Pin 111 should be slightly flexible to permit it to be slightly deflected by the resistance of the water to provide the utmost in steering control and propulsion. If fin 111 is too stiff, the resistance of the water will have a tendency to deflect the rearward end of the boat upon the movement of fin 111. Also, by mounting fin 111 between the hull portions of the poop deck portion 13, the lateral deflection of the rearward end of the boat is also minimized. It can be appreciated that the boat will function extremely well regardless of the foreign material that it encounters since there are no parts which can become fouled. The flipping action of the fin 111 also tends to shake-off any weeds or the like which may become entangled thereon. It can be appreciated that an extremely efficient boat propulsion means has been provided which permits a boater to gain access to areas which were heretofore unaccessible. The boat and propulsion means therefor are extremely simple and can be operated by a person regardless of his boating skill. Thus, it can be seen that the device accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of my boat and propulsion means therefor without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims, any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim:

1. In combination,

a boat having rearward and forward ends and a bot tom,

a movable fin means extending rearwardly from said boat,

a handle means mounted in said boat and being movable in forwardly and rearwardly directions with respect thereto,

and a linkage means connecting said handle means and said fin means whereby movement of said handle means in one of its directions of movement will cause said fin means to be moved at least one oscillation.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said linkage means includes a drive bar having rearward and forward ends, said drive bar being operatively pivotally secured at its forward end to said boat, said drive bar being operatively connected at its rearward end to said fin means, said drive bar being provided with a cam groove formed therein, said handle means being in operative engagement with said cam groove whereby movement of said handle means will cause said drive bar to be pivotally moved.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said linkage means includes a drive bar having rearward and forward ends, said drive bar being operatively pivotally secured at its forward end to said boat, said drive bar being operatively connected at its rearward end to said fin means, said drive bar being provided with a cam groove formed therein, said handle means having a follower means operatively secured thereto which is received by said cam groove whereby movement of said handle means will cause said drive bar to be pivotally moved.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said linkage means includes a drive bar having rearward and forward ends, said drive bar being operatively pivotally secured at its forward end to said boat, said drive bar being operatively connected at its rearward end to said fin means, said drive bar being provided with a cam groove formed therein, an elongated guide bar assembly pivotally secured to said boat above said drive bar, said guide bar assembly including a follower means longitudinally movable thereon, said handle means being pivotally secured to said guide bar assembly, said follower means being received by said cam groove whereby movement of said handle means will cause said drive bar to be pivotally moved.

5. The combination of claim 2 wherein a shift means is operatively secured to said drive bar to pivotally move said drive bar laterally with respect to the longitudinal axis of said boat to permit said boat to be steered.

6. The combination of claim 2 wherein said cam groove includes a plurality of groove portions angularly disposed with respect to each other and angularly disposed with respect to the longitudinal axis of said drive bar.

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein said plurality of groove portions includes at least a front groove portion and a rear groove portion, the angle between said rear groove portion and the longitudinal axis of said drive bar being greater than the angle between said front groove portion and the longitudinal axis of said drive bar.

8. In combination with a boat having rearward and forward ends,

a movable fin means extending rearwardly from said boat,

a handle means mounted in said boat and being movable in forwardly and rearwardly directions,

and a linkage means connecting said handle means and i said fin means whereby movement of said handle means in one of its directions of movement will cause said fin means to be moved.

6 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,324,722 12/1919 Bergin 115--28 2,062,546 12/1936 Wells 11530 FOREIGN PATENTS 571,273 2/1933 Germany.

ANDREW H. FARRELL, Primary Examiner. 

